<p>I found a document on line that clarifies this further:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nationalmerit.org/12_MeritSemi.pdf[/url]”>http://www.nationalmerit.org/12_MeritSemi.pdf</a></p>
<p>As 1012 mom states, nearly all students advance to finalist standing, but only half are awarded scholarship money, and a fraction of that offered the $2500 finalist prize, which is what my post was referring to. </p>
<p>It does look, though, like the hoops to jump through aren’t as difficult as I had thought. Still, given the high cut-off scores, it still seems like something worth trying for (good prep for the SAT if nothing else) but not worth too much angst.</p>